St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-01-02
TROUBLE HAS BEGUN.
State Legislators in Great Numbers
flocked to the Capitol on New
Years Day,
And the War of Wire-Pulling For the
speakership and Other Offices
Opens Up.
A Three or Four Cornered Fight We'll
on for the Presiding officer
ofthe House.
Estimates of the Strength OF Davis
and Others for Senator--
Bits of Gossip.

II some Of the members of the legis-
lature who came to st. Paul yesterday
didn't get tired out with the wind work that
was done in the corridors of the hotels
there will be an unusually large amount
of Sabbath breaking in this city to-
day. A whole army of members of three
houses swarmed into the city yesterday, the
membership of the third house" being
probably the larger. and at no time since
the state convention has there been as much
buttonhOling going on as there was on
year of our Lord. William Lee, Of
Todd county, was there. History
has put down Mr.. Lee exactly as
he looked yesterday. He had on
celuloid collar. said by eminent critics
to be the same one he wore when he was
in the house of representatives, two years
ago, and he wore no neckte. This, in
connection with the arrival Of 1gnatius
Donnelly, who will lead the army Of
| farmers in their legislative battles, was re-
garded as most signlfcant-a part Of a
deep-laid plot to capture the country meln-
! bers at first blush. Mr.. Lee said he was
not yet giving away just how many sup
porters he counted on IN his race for the
speakership. He did say. however, that
he believed he could put his finger on more
solid votes than could Hon. w. 4. Merriam.
Mr.. Lee smiled when reporter asked him
what there was in the story that his friends
would combine with Mr.. Buffum's to
defeat Mr.. Merriam, and said there
might possibly be something in it. He said
he was confident that not one of the men
who is now pledged to support Buffum or
himself would by any combination be in
duced to vote for Mr.. Merriam. 1t was the
field against Merriam from start to finish.
Mr.. Lee said he was confident that he would
| WELD the gayel i'll the next house. Mr.
Lee was very induStriously moving about,
and every once in a few minutes he disap-
peared into some room down the corridor
with farmer in tow. w. r. Merriam,
wearing Il seal skin cap, was On the grounds,
and ran sort OF go-aS- you-please with Mr..
| Lee for the newly arrived members. He
had goodly number of OflieutenantS at work
Oh the button-holing, and they said
THEY WE'RE CONFIDENT
that Mr.. Merriam was coming under the
wire ahead. Mr. Merriam himself said
he though the was getting the prize in sight.
1t seemed to be the plans of Mr.. Buffum'S
friends to keep more in the shade than the
others. and if much work was being done
for him it was Oh the quiet. Nearly every
man who knew anything about the speaker
ship had few remarks to make on the
| combination of Lee aud Buffum to defeat
Merriam. On all sides could be heard the
statement that it was Merriam against the
! field. and it was given out that the forces
of the field were so good natured toward
each other that they would either of them
sacrifice their own chief to kill of the st.
ho,, Nl,ao oh taO ~
out, Were ready and waiting to be sacrificed.
1t was said to be the understanding that if
Butfum should get the speakership, Lee
was to be chairman of the committee on
| finance, and was also to have position on
| the ways and means committee. If Lee
was the winner in. the speakership contest
Buffum was to have a prominent place on
| the railroad committee and the chairman
| ship of some other-just which was not
| given out.
THE SAGE HAS COME.
Hon. Ignatius Donnelly, accompanied by
his wife, arrived yesterday morning and
was assigned to rooms 80 and 81, the Mer-
chants, where the sage sent back a CHEEKY
''come in" to every rap that shook the door
of his apartment. He is here to fight the
railroads and to take "a long pull and a
strong pulp in behalf of the farmers, ''for
he himself had said it," Other people an
ticipate that there is more truth than buster
in IgnatuS' declaration. and they say he
will make it exceedingly interesting for
whoever occupies the speakers chair, for
he is thoroughly posted in parliamentary
law and will not be bulldozed 1t is the
general impression that NiningerS solon
will have his say within the next sixty days
at all odds. Like many other member of
the house. he kicks against SiXty-day Ses-
sion. He says it necessitateS too much night
work and should be extended to ninety days.
AS an evidence that the Sage has barred his
steel against the railroads, it was said yes
terday that he came up from his NiningeT
home on a ticket for which he paid good
money, and that he returned unused rail-
road pass, good for himself land one
He is going to hold meeting at the capi-
tol Monday forenoon, to which all farmers
and farmers friends will be welcome.
When questioned about this he said it was
simply to get the forces into working order.
Some committees would be appointed and
they would draw up a sort of a plan toI
harmonious action in the interests of the
farmers. Two or three men will shake in
their boots until they get full reports of this
meeting, for it has been limited pretty
strongly that IgnatiuS and his class propose
test, as we'll as a few other matters.
THE SENATORIAL QUESTION.
While there was so much general hustline
over the speakerShip of course the sena-
torial question was not forgotten. 1t could
not be denied that most of the men who
expressed themselves-and the Legislators
are giving their preferences in very un-
guarded manner this year-were Davis
men. The friends of the ex-governor were
very active all day, and they did not hesi-
tate to say that they had confidence in win
ming. Capt. Castle cast his veteran eye
over the crowd and remarked to J. II.
Drake that he wasn't interested particularly
in the speakerShip contest but he was ar
interested spectator in the senatorial fight.
1t seemed good, he said, to be on top once
and he predicted plain sailing for Davis,
Friends of the ex-governor could be
found who said they did not care
whether there was a caucus or not. they
could elect their man. Senator Mcmillan
was visible about the Merchants corridors
amount OF handshaking. He was still con-
fident, he said. and the Davis talk did not
discourage him. He has not changed from
his intention of going back to Washington
early this week. He ventured the opinion
that his heaviest opponent would not have
majority of a Republican caucus. if one
were held. The question of whether OF
not the managers of McMlllan's campaign
will
GO INTO THE CAUCUS
and abide by its results is hard of solution.
Men who profess to know say that his sup
porters will not do this, and open threat:
of a bolt have been heard. Whether there
is any one who is authorized to make {
statement on this point so early in the game
is doubtful.